About Ruston

The visionary of a new town boasting prosperity and community, Robert E. Russ is the founder of Ruston, Louisiana. He saw the potential for developing a new town when he heard the news that the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Depot railroad was going to be built. Merchants from towns nearby set up temporary stores and businesses in tents lining the railroad to provide the railroad surveyors with food and supplies. Soon after, Mr. Russ was persuaded to donate some of his land for a town site. He then donated more than 600 acres of land for the formation this town near his plantation. The former Union Army surveyors laid out the streets, and lots were pulled out of a hat and sold for $375. Russ Town, as it was originally called, began in 1883 with the completion of the railroad and depot, and was later referred to by its shorthand name, Ruston. The town grew quickly as people moved from Vienna to Ruston, and one year later in 1884, Ruston held the Lincoln Parish seat.